Posted on 04/19/2008 11:15:46 AM PDT by kingattax
JERUSALEM, April 18 -- Former president Jimmy Carter followed through on a planned meeting with the exiled leader of Hamas on Friday, despite U.S. and Israeli protests that the session would give legitimacy to a group they consider a terrorist organization.
Khaled Meshal, who is accused of masterminding kidnappings and suicide bombings, met with Carter, a Nobel Peace laureate, in Damascus, Syria, where Meshal has lived for nearly a decade. The meeting was one of the most notable exchanges to date between Hamas, which won Palestinian elections in 2006, and a prominent Western political figure.
Israel and the United States have consistently opposed any direct contact with Hamas, an armed Islamist movement that has vowed to destroy the Jewish state. But a spokesman for Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Eli Yishai said Friday that Yishai had asked Carter to arrange for him to meet with Hamas to discuss a possible prisoner exchange. Yishai, a member of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, has said he believes it is his religious duty to try to win the release of Cpl. Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier who was kidnapped nearly two years ago and has been held in Gaza since.
Mark Regev, spokesman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said Yishai was speaking for himself. "It is not the position of the prime minister," Regev said. "The government is against any dialogue with Hamas."
Despite that policy, Israel has been trading proposals with Hamas this spring for a possible cease-fire. Egypt has served as the intermediary, and the United States has encouraged the process behind the scenes. Those talks have snagged on the issue of whether the West Bank would also be included in the cease-fire, with Hamas arguing that it must be and Israel balking.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Please, please, please, hold him for hostage. At least 444 days.
I would rather state dept revoke his passport. Make him a man without a country.
He self righteousness is difficult to stomach.
Now would be a good time for Israel to take out Khaled Meshal.
“Jimmy? When your time comes, would you like to be buried next to your friend Arafat?”
But the only thing that explains this sort of behavior is a desire to damage the U.S. (and Israel) as much as possible. The man is evil.
Funny, not ONE democrat is condeming this. Has Lieberman come out on this?
Unfortunately for the American people we have two that would be a complete disaster for this nation and one that would ease our descent into the mire-pit of history.
This absolute jackass is a traitorous running-dog of the Marxist-fascist-islamic haters of America.
He is beyond redemption.
I heard on the radio last night that several congressman are drafting legislation to revoke his passport and officially slap his fingers for it. The whole thing’s incredible.
I would love to see that happen, but it will never pass.
Pigs will spout wings and muslims will eat pork before this traitorous man gets called on carpet for his actions.
We can exile him to the third world country of his choice, but preferrably one that is ruled by a terrorist that hates all Americans!
Let’s be fair here - a quick google search refutes this point. Several prominent Democrats (including, interestingly enough, B. Hussein “let’s chat with Ahmadinejad” Obama) have condemned Carter for this boneheaded move.
It really speaks to how un-American Carter is when even the traitorous Democrats are criticizing his actions...
Methinks the old peanut farmer from Plains, Ga. also specialized in growing alternative green plants of the mind altering variety. He’s out of mind and out of control.
Which means he thinks God is an America-hating communist.
Agreed, it’ll never happen, even in the face of all this. While amazed by Carter’s increasingly stupid and villainous behavior, we have to remember that he gets away with it because no one does anything about it.
When was the last time someone was charged with treason, WWII?
Adam Yahiye Gadahn (born in California, converted to Islam, joined al Qaeda, has appeared in numerous al Qaeda videos) was charged in absentia with treason in 2006. He was the first to be charged with treason since 1952.
Treason is a very difficult charge to try, as it requires the testimony of two eyewitnesses. Since Carter met in secret with Hamas (and, obviously, members of Hamas would be unlikely to cooperate with a treason trial), it would be almost impossible to prove a treason charge in this case (even though we all know that what he did was treasonous).
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